Buoy for locating wrecks.



E. ,L. BEAN. BUOY FOR LOGATING WREGKS.

APPLIGATIOH FILED smmn, 1912.

Patented Apr. 15, 1913.

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B. LJBEAH.

BUOY FOR LOGATIHG WBEGKS.

'ABP'LIQATIOI FILED sun. 11. 1912.

Patented Apr. 15, 1913.

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BUOY FOR LOGATING WRBCKS.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 11, 1912.

1,058,939. Patented Apr. 15, 1913.

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EMMETT L. BEAN, OF ERIE, PENNSYLVANIA.

BUOY non LOCATING wnncxs.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 15, 1913.

: Application filed September 11, 1912. Serial No. 719,725.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EMMETT L. BEAN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Erie, in the county of Erie and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Buoys for Le- I eating Wrecks, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to buoys for locating sunken vessels at sea, and one of the principal objects of the invention is to provide a buoy which will arise to the surface of the water when the vessel goes down, and will pay out a cable connected to the vessel and reeled from the buoy.

Another object of the invention is to provide a buoy having an air tight chamber and a compartment containing a winding mechanism or reel for paying out a cable, connected to the deck of the vessel, and means within the compartment for indicating the length of the cable payed out in order that the depth of the sunken vessel may be readily ascertained.

Another object of the invention is to pro vide a buoy of the character referred to in which a signal light is displayed at the top of the buoy to render the location of the buoy readily discernible in the darkness.

These and other objects may be attained by means of the construction illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a view. in elevation of a sunken vessel, to which is connected a buoy made in accordance with my invention, Fig. 2 is aside elevation of the buoy disconnected from the vessel. Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the same. Fig. 4 is a central vertical section of the buoy. Fig. 5 is a horizontal sectional view taken on the. line 55, Fig. 4

looking in the direction indicated by the arrows.

Referring to thedrawings and more particularly to Fig. 1, the numeral 1 designates i a sunken vessel, 2 are wires or cables adapt ed to reeve through a ring 3 connected to the deck of the vessel, said wires or cables being connected to a winding mechanism or reels within the buoy 4.

Referring to thelother figures of the drawings, the numeral 5 designates a metal buoy having in its upper dome shaped portion an air tight compartment 6, which is separated from the compartment 7 for containing winding and indicating mechanisms, by means of a partition 8.

Depending from the partition 8 are braces 9 forming a frame work for supporting a pair of reels 10, mounted upon a shaft 11, journaleol in the braces 9- and provided with a winding crank 12. The reels 10 are each in the form of a spool, and in order to prevent the too rapid unwinding of the wires or cables 2 from said reels, retarding devices or brakes 13 bear frictionally upon the flangesof the reels, said brakes being secured to the partition 8 as shown more clearly in Fig. 4. The wires 2 extend through apertures in the block 14. On'one end of the shaft--11 is a finger 15 adapted to engage one of the indicator vvheels 16, 17, as the reels are rotated to indicate the length of wire payed out from the reels to give the depth at which the vessel has sunk. A door 18 gives access to this mechanism, while an opening 19 may be closed by a door, in line with the winding crank 12.

A gas reservoir 20 is secured within the compartment 7 underneath the partition 8 and a pipe 21 communicating with said gas reservoir extends through the top of the buoy, and may be provided with a burner and globe 22 of conventional form. A loop or handle 23 at the top of the buoy may be utilized for handling the buoy.

The operation 0 my invention may .be briefly described as follows: The buoy is attached to the deck of the vessel by means of the ring 3 through which a loop in the wires 2 passes, and under ordinary conditions the buoy willlie upon the deck ready for immediate use. In case the vessel sinks the buoy would rise to the surface and pay out the wire 2. The signal light would be previously ignited to give the location of the wreck. The indicating mechanism is readily accessible by opening the door 18.

From the foregoing it will be obvious that a buoy made in accordance with my invention can be manufactured at 00111 aratively low cost, is strong, durable, and e icient for its purpose, will automatically operate to pay out the wire to indicate the depth at which the vessel has descended, and at the same time the buoy can be seen in the night time as well as the day time.

I claim:

1. A buoy for locating sunken vessels comprising a casing having an air tight compartment, a partition separating said compartment from a chamber for containing a winding mechanism, wire reels in said chamber, a wire extending from said reels through the bottom of the casing to be connected to compartment, and a burner on said pipe at the top of the buoy.

' 2. A buoy for locating sunken vessels comprising a casing having an air tight compartment, a partition separating said compartment from a chamber for containing a winding mechanism, brackets supported upon the partition and connected to the easing, wire reels in said chamber, said reels being mounted in said brackets, means for retarding the rotation of said reels, a wire extending from said reels through the bottom of the casing to be connected to a ring on the deck of a vessel, an indicator for giving the length of wire fed from the reels, means for rewinding said reels, a gas reservoir in said chamber, a pipe leading from said reservoir through the air tight compartment, and a burner on said pipe at the top of the buoy.

- Intestimony whereof I have afiixed my signature in presence of two witnesses.

EMMETT L. BEAN.

Witnesses:

WM. REED, W. W. BRIEN. 

